Are these lights easily portable? Can one quickly assemble and disassemble them to take to a shoot?
38141
They aren't easily assembled. My recommendation is to set them up in a studio. Other than the portability issue, they are great for the money. Stands are sturdy, and the softboxes do just what they should.
38142
They are portable, but leave the 3 soft boxes completely together. Arrive and put on the stand and you're ready to go. You cannot assemble and dissemble quickly. It takes for ever and you could break them. But if you leave them together, they're portable. I love them. My first location shot was of two people, two lights and two canon 7d's. I color balanced for the daylight soft boxes, and let the back ground in the next room turn gold. Turned out just as I thought they would when I bought them. The two light stands are good, but the boom is great.
38143
Defining 'quickly' is the challenge here. Are they super hard to assemble & disassemble? No. But my gut feel is that if you were to keep traveling with this kit doing that day in and day out you're going to break/strip some of the tighteners, these need to be done slowly as some of them are plastic and from what I've read by other reviews (not happened to me) they can break. I think it's a great home kit with some traveling. If you're going to be traveling non stop either get a more expensive kit or do it carefully. quickly - can sometimes mean 'in a rough fashion' so if that's true then the wear on the kit might be a bit much.
38144
Defining 'quickly' is the challenge here. Are they super hard to assemble & disassemble? No. But my gut feel is that if you were to keep traveling with this kit doing that day in and day out you're going to break/strip some of the tighteners, these need to be done slowly as some of them are plastic and from what I've read by other reviews (not happened to me) they can break. I think it's a great home kit with some traveling. If you're going to be traveling non stop either get a more expensive kit or do it carefully. quickly - can sometimes mean 'in a rough fashion' so if that's true then the wear on the kit might be a bit much. Defining 'quickly' is the challenge here. Are they super hard to assemble & disassemble? No. But my gut feel is that if you were to keep traveling with this kit doing that day in and day out you're going to break/strip some of the tighteners, these need to be done slowly as some of them are plastic and from what I've read by other reviews (not happened to me) they can break. I think it's a great home kit with some traveling. If you're going to be traveling non stop either get a more expensive kit or do it carefully. quickly - can sometimes mean 'in a rough fashion' so if that's true then... » Read More Defining 'quickly' is the challenge here. Are they super hard to assemble & disassemble? No. But my gut feel is that if you were to keep traveling with this kit doing that day in and day out you're going to break/strip some of the tighteners, these need to be done slowly as some of them are plastic and from what I've read by other reviews (not happened to me) they can break. I think it's a great home kit with some traveling. If you're going to be traveling non stop either get a more expensive kit or do it carefully. quickly - can sometimes mean 'in a rough fashion' so if that's true then the wear on the kit might be a bit much. « Show Less
1402628
It is pretty easy to assemble but taking it down and re-assembling would be a pain. Putting it together was no problem even for a non-mechanical person like me. It is not very portable unless you had a truck or large van with storage capability. I would not consider it to be a portable item.
2163814
Yes, the softbox tops fold down in about 30-60 seconds depending on your proficiency and willingness to touch a hot florescent bulb. The stand are quick to tear down as well because they are release levers. You will need to supply your own stand carrying case, but all in all, simple and easy. First time I opened up the kit and used it, took me 5-10 minutes to figure out all of the pieces. Now I can have both stands up and lighting in 5 minutes.
1574748
Yes as long as they are about the size of a good tripod, it would be perfect I would say and make life a lot easier for you, not good for video at all tho.
2086286
Yes, but they are kinda flimsy. At least my kit came with stands. Overall the whole package is pretty delicate but it is a lot of horsepower in lights for the price. They are useful.
1645641
Yup, can be disassembled but to bring along for traveling might be too much hassle?
1800277
Yes, but you will need to sandbag them because the stands are not heavy and can tip. Good news is the lights are not hot and the rig is therefore pretty safe.
85070
yes..no reason that you can't..however they don;t hold up well if you don;t use the flashlight enought..paul
327536
never done it. It has 4 screws so It looks easy enough to take apart. Maybe you could ebay the lights
644467
Very easy to move. Quick disassembly and simple to put back together. I shrink-wrapped pieces together to make them easier to carry and load/unload. Just be careful how you place them. The pieces will scratch and dent.
150281
easily. Just make sure the bulbs don't touch the gels and that there is enough clearance between the gels and the light bulbs. They are great! By the way, they come kinda micro scratched but that wouldn't matter really as they are for light and not lens.
321803
These could very well work for that. This comes with a 150W flood bulb that will provide a lot of light coverage at that distance at a decent brightness. These lights are usually used in multiple sets to make more light or have colors in front of each to provide color effects on the same area. If you were unhappy with how wide it is, and you would not like to move it, try going to Home Depot in looking for a halogen Par38 bulb that is 90W and a spot, not a flood, coverage. This will give you a much narrower beam and more brightness at that distance in a much smaller area (less overall light, but more of it in a smaller place). Ultimately, the black metal part is just a bulb holder and a cord set to plug it in, and all of the lighting brightness and how narrow or wide it is is dependent on the bulb, which can be easily swapped out since it uses a standard size lightbulb thread. Just like buying a room lamp at a store, how the light acts is all about the bulb. The casing on this bulb is black and has a gel frame spot to suggest more of a usage for performance and entertainment. But at this price, it doesn't hurt to try one and see what you think. I happen to use these at one of the performance space I oversee. They use a set of 8 of these units, with the 90W bulbs that are spots, with 4 on either side of the room pointed across the stage evenly - the throw distance being 15-25'. They are hooked up to a dimmer panel for entertainment that can be controlled by an entertainment lighting console. This is a very cheap option to get started and go from here.
318427
Can be done. Did it in one location This is a 2 person job. Expensive light to drop. Good luck.
2251171
Yes. These lights are small and weigh very little. You don't have to buy any other accessories
705770
I imagine you can but why pay the extra money for something you are not going to use. These lights are available without photo cell. I you had to a piece of black tape would disable the photo eye.
731682
For the price they'll do the job for a little while, but I've had three of them now where the sync port came loose so I have to use them as slaves. If you're just practicing lighting, go for it. If you're looking for a professional setup, you might want to try something a little sturdier.
657266
They're barely OK. If your subject is moving, you may have problems. I'm using them for a seated talking head, and they work alright for that. Of course, some of it will depend on your camera. I like the cool temperature, and my household wiring would not be able to handle old fashioned lights.